Students Want Debate, Yet Tend to Self-Censor

College students want to debate but are afraid to do it, according to a recent report from Banjo, an online platform “dedicated to the civil, peaceful exchange of ideas.”

The survey of 1,019 students across more than 600 institutions found that 92 percent of students were “slightly” to “extremely” interested in engaging in debates with their peers. The majority, 70 percent, wanted opportunities to hone their debate skills, and 78 percent reported changing their minds on an issue because of a debate. Meanwhile, 76 percent described feeling “energized by thoughtful discussions.”

Yet 66 percent of the students surveyed reported avoiding debates to prevent conflict in the past two weeks, and 64 percent reported feeling anxious when discussing controversial topics during that time period. While 75 percent of students felt comfortable debating with close friends, 68 percent reported their friends’ views align with their own. By contrast, 63 percent said they felt comfortable debating in small course sections and informal conversations with classmates, and 55 percent felt comfortable debating in lectures. Even smaller shares felt at ease with discussions in student clubs (53 percent), dorms (50 percent) and campus events or panels (46 percent).

Most students, 64 percent, reported that debates feel more hostile than productive, and 76 percent said they witnessed or experienced some kind of negative outcome from a disagreement on campus, such as yelling, damaged friendships, self-censorship, social exclusion, public calling out on social media, name-calling, pressured apologies or online harassment.

“The students we heard from want dialogue,” Ken Allen, CEO of Banjo, wrote in the report. “They believe it is essential to their educational development and to being successful in life. However, too many of them have learned that speaking up costs more than it should—a friendship, their reputation, or even their safety. So they hold back, and the silence compounds.”